GlenAllachie 12 Year

This is my initial bottle from this distillery. A friend suggested I start with this one before acquiring the 15-year, which is quite reasonably priced for its age. And I'm delighted I chose this one. It's of very good quality for a 12-year-old. The nose is quite rich, and the palate is creamy, smooth, and satisfying. On the nose: there's a mocha sensation, coffee undertones, and a hint of chocolate. Following that, I detected a slight sweetness from the ethanol and tobacco notes. There are also dried fruits like raisins. It's very complex. On the palate: It has a bit of warmth with a spicy sensation, but not overly so. It leans towards dried fruits and tobacco, yet remains sweet. Water added On the nose: Charred oak and herbal, grassy, vanilla, and tobacco. The complexity on the nose diminishes. On the palate: It opened up significantly. More sweetness, continued tobacco notes, vanilla, less warmth, and a longer finish. A mild nuttiness at the end, akin to walnut coated in sugar. I thoroughly enjoyed this dram! It possesses a very complex nose and opens up beautifully on the palate after adding some water. This is definitely a keeper! I will need to have another bottle ready when this one is finished. Cheers!

NEAT NOSE - A beautiful aromatic profile. PLENTY of dried fruit. Notes of figs, blueberries, raisins, vanilla, and honey. Very complex. PALATE - Initially, there's a slight spiciness on the front of the palate, but it's quickly overtaken by the sweetness of dried fruit, vanilla, and honey. The mouthfeel is similar to diluted olive oil. It doesn't quite coat the palate but offers a subtly smooth texture. FINISH - Nonexistent. It disappears instantly, which is a major disappointment. Furthermore, it leaves the palate feeling dry, much like a dry red wine. I anticipate the 15-year will improve upon this. BUY? - Definitely. It's an excellent example of a quality sherried scotch at a fair price. BUY AGAIN? - Yes, though I need to compare it with others in the same category, such as Glendronach and Glenfarclas, etc. Regardless of the outcome in a blind tasting against them, I can see myself purchasing this again. **I would have given this a higher rating if it weren't for the absent and drying finish. Nevertheless, it's still a good dram.

On the nose, expect notes of cherry, orange marmalade, licorice, raisin, and vanilla with a hint of cinnamon. It's so reminiscent of a finished bourbon, you could almost mistake it. The palate brings forth malt and honey, overlaid with berry, orange, raisin, and vanilla. The fruit notes are quite dominant throughout. As it progresses to the finish, dark chocolate and spice emerge. There's a slight bitterness, but I find it doesn't detract too much, instead offering a good counterpoint to the abundant fruit flavors. I consider this a strong contender against Glendronach 12, and frankly, I lean towards this one. Its slightly higher proof and vibrant fruitiness are more appealing to me.

A layered Single Malt Scotch Whisky from The GlenAllachie Distillery in Speyside, Scotland, aged in Pedro Ximénez, Oloroso, and virgin oak barrels for 12 years. It greets you with scents of fried banana, blossoms, nuts, cola candies, fresh wood, vanilla, butterscotch, and cocoa. Its development brings forth tastes of stem ginger, raisins, bananas foster, marzipan, oily barley, and rich vanilla, finishing with a lengthy, smooth mouthfeel and suggestions of milk chocolate, honey, and almonds. October / December 2020 / August 2022

It has a dark color, resembling brandy. My initial thought was whether it had been colored artificially. The nose is initially dominated by a very strong vanilla scent, but it's clearly candy and honey. You can already detect sweetness on the nose itself. The alcohol seems quite potent as well. The palate presents similarly strong notes. It's a full-bodied drink with significant alcohol spiciness and ethanol, combined with intense dried fruits like raisins. The finish is quite long, with similar sweet, caramelly dried fruit flavors.

Aroma - a smooth yet intricate blend of fruits and baking spices. It has a sherry-prominent aroma. Sweet-smelling and pleasant! A gentle aroma with mild spiciness. Taste - sweet and mildly spicy! A mouthful of Christmas cake in liquid form. Flavors of apricots, rum-soaked raisins, cinnamon, star anise, and licorice. Leaves a refreshing sensation in the mouth. It has an oily texture, but the finish is too brief. If the finish were longer, this would be a very highly rated scotch in my estimation.